"SUNY Oswego tries to ban Muslim speaker for" (yes, that's really the headline), from SUNY's Daily Orange, with thanks to Ali Dashti:
Controversy surrounding a Muslim man's suspected connection to terrorists almost prevented funding for the keynote speaker's upcoming lecture on racism.Abu Yousuf will speak Saturday at the State University of New York at Oswego, but the university's Muslim Student Association, which is sponsoring the event, did not obtain the funding easily.
Some members of SUNY Oswego's Student Association were concerned about claims in an Internet article claiming Yousuf has ties to Al-Muhajiroun, an extremist Islam group that has been linked to terrorist activity in other countries.
Fahad Samad, president of SUNY Oswego's Muslim Student Association, said the claims are false.
"Those are straight-forward lies," Samad said. "Those are accusations."
The Muslim Student Association defended Yousuf at the SUNY Oswego Student Association meeting Tuesday, and after some debate, the SA eventually gave the organization $800 to bring Yousuf to campus, said Alan Hershkowitz, a SUNY Oswego junior and SA senator.
Hershkowitz acknowledged there was initial confusion surrounding the speaker's identity.
"There was some stuff on the Internet about him, but we weren't sure if it was the same person. Abu Yousuf is a common name," he said.
SA passed the funding request because the allegation could not be verified, Hershkowitz said.
OK, which is it? Is the allegation that Abu Yousuf is connected to Al-Muhajiroun a "lie," as Samad says, or is this a case of possible mistaken identity, as Hershkowitz says? It is worth nothing that the original WND article that linked Abu Yousuf with Al-Muhajiroun portrays him as volunteering information about the connection, and also saying that he spoke regularly for the MSA: "Yousuf explained that he speaks at many colleges throughout the New York area, and that most of his speeches are arranged by the MSA." What steps did SUNY really take, if any, to find out whether or not they were dealing with the same person?
All speakers paid for out of government funds -- in this case, the funds of a branch of the state university -- should have their speeches recorded, and if possible videotaped, so that nods and becks and wiles can be recorded as well, and then viewed.
This is the very least the taxpayers of New York can demand, for the Muslim Student Assocation did not pay for this propagandist and apologist for Islam, but the taxpayers of New York. And they have a right to find out if they are paying for someone who, directly or indirectly, encourages his listeners to engage in the Jihad (in any manner) or otherwise utters words which could reasonably be said to make the lives of the same Infidel taxpayers more difficult, unpleasant, or dangerous.
End of story.
Hugh is perfectly right. I am not an American, but I think that Americans, and especially NY State citizens, ought to start a petition on those terms. It's their money.
"Hershkowitz acknowledged there was initial confusion surrounding the speaker's identity.
"There was some stuff on the Internet about him, but we weren't sure if it was the same person. Abu Yousuf is a common name," he said.
SA passed the funding request because the allegation could not be verified, Hershkowitz said."
Is it the youth element that leads to decisions like this? "Abu Yousuf is a common name" is a good enough excuse/apology so they provided financial support before the facts are checked? Where is the responsibility here or doesn't that matter?
If there is a speaker Abu Yousuf with connections to Al-Muhajiroun making the rounds, then the MSA has the burden of proving that this Abu Yousuf is not the same person.
Al-Muhajiroun advocates more 9/11s. The stakes are too high. This is not a speech about basket weaving; therefore, the MSA and Abu Yousuf have the burden of proving that this man does not have connections to Al-Muhajiroun, and until they do, if there is even a little prima facie evidence, the presumption should be that he is the guy.
It sounds to me like proof was never established. In that case, there is something horribly, horribly wrong.
I think people ought to look into the laws such as the Patriot Act to see whether the university staff broke any laws by giving money to someone who supports terrorists. This would be similar to how there are banking laws against sending money to terrorist supporters.
I know that if a person uses his position of prominence to support terrorism, he or she is not supposed to be allowed to enter the U.S. So, I hope someone at the State University of New York at Oswego takes Abu Yousuf on a joy-ride to Canada, and then his re-entry into the U.S. is barred under the Patriot Act!